A different shade of blue
by cypheroftyr
Summary: During a battle Billy is bitten by a new hybrid creature of Mondo. He's a vampire, sort of. It's a long and convoluted story, and it begins here.
1. Dark side of the Wolf

Why… why had he come to be in this position after all he'd done for the Rangers. Why was he imprisoned like he was the dangerous one? Billy sat and brooded on that while he listened to whoever had come to talk at him this time. He was angry, and his mind was too busy conjuring scenarios of payback for all he'd gone through in the last month.

He opened his eyes to see Tommy staring at him with barely held contempt. Billy smiled at his former leader, a cold thing of beauty with the fangs just peeking out when he smiled like a wild animal that had been caged. He stared at Tommy as he wondered if the young man in front of him felt any remorse for what he'd been turned into. Billy nearly died after a creature of Zedd's creation had attacked him and infected him with its bite. Billy didn't want to become whatever it was he'd turned into, but there was no reason for them to cage him like he'd been since coming back to consciousness.

He sat down on the bed, and absently brushed his hand over the collar they'd put on him when Tommy, Rocky and Adam had put him into this holding cell. It dampened his powers and allowed them to knock him out if he seemed like he was going to get violent, again. He decided to let Tommy speak or leave, he didn't care for Tommy anymore so he wasn't inclined to speak with him about the situation they found themselves in.

Tommy finally spoke after some time of staring at Billy, then the walls and floors. He sat in a chair and looked at his former team mate for a bit before he spoke. "Billy, why are you so pissed off still? Don't you realize that keeping you in here is for your protection as well as ours? You know what happened when you came to, and it's just a precautionary measure to keep you in here."

Billy spat on the floor at Tommy's feet and growled under his breath. "Don't bullshit me Tommy. This isn't to keep anyone safe, it's to keep me under your thumb now that you can't control me anymore. I'm no longer a meek little whipping boy that you can relegate to the sidelines so I'm a threat to you. You and I know what happened when I came to was a result of being changed into whatever the hell I've become. You won't let me near a lab or any kind of equipment that would let me help myself. You've deluded yourself into believing your own lies Tommy. You've conned them into thinking I'm some dangerous animal and not in my right mind. Actually that's the opposite of what's going on here. I've never had more clarity on what a manipulative asshole you really are Thomas; and hopefully the others will see it sooner rather than later."

Billy stood and paced a bit, deliberate in keeping away from Tommy. He didn't want to succumb to his desire to rend the boy limb from limb or better to drain him of his powers which he had the desire to do since the attack. He sat down finally and stared with contempt at Tommy, he was tired of this charade of care that they had put on for the last month. He was ready to go home to his own bed and to not be questioned and caged like an animal.

"When are you going to end this farce Tommy? I've done nothing untoward for the duration, nor have I attacked anyone no matter how much you'd deserve it. I'm the one who was attacked and changed, yet I'm locked up in the holding cell here as if I've wronged the team. I'm no longer amused, nor willing to play your games. I want out of here." Billy turned on his back and looked up at the ceiling, and refused to further acknowledge Tommy's presence.

Tommy hit the wall and stalked out. He never got anything from Billy but anger and contempt. He had started to lose his resolve in keeping Billy caged like a dangerous creature, but if he let him out now, what would Billy do to them once he was free? He let his mind work that out while the others awaited his return in the strategy room. He sat in a chair dejectedly while all the Rangers who were present looked at him, none of them looked pleased at his continued imprisonment of their teammate. Jason looked like he was going to blow a vein after he'd witnessed the "questioning" of Billy earlier by Tommy. He'd been called home after the attack to see if he could help out if Billy was no longer able to wield the Blue Power; he wasn't needed as Billy couldn't give up his Power if he tried.

The attack had done something to the Power Billy held, and mutated it to something none of them could identify as theirs but it wasn't entirely new either. The mutation had caused physical changes in their friend as well as causing his power levels to spike erratically before becoming stable in a week after the attack. Billy was no longer himself, at least not if you allowed Tommy to give his version of what had happened when Billy came to in the med bay. None of that mattered as the other Rangers watched him with a mixture of curiosity and anger at how Billy had been confined.

Jason felt something wasn't right here, and he flinched when Billy accused Tommy of treating him as a dangerous animal instead of allowing him to run tests and see what had been done to him. Kim was in no better shape, she had born the brunt of Billy's outburst in the Med bay, she wasn't angry at her old friend but she had gotten increasingly angry at her boyfriend at how he had kept Billy under lock and key for the last month.

Jason stood and went over to Tommy, and stopped once he'd pinned Tommy to a wall. "What the hell is going on here Tommy? Billy hasn't done anything to you, and he apologized for what happened to Kim when he came around. No one but you seems to think he's dangerous, no one but you seems to be convinced he's going to murder us all if he's let out of that cell. I've known him long enough to know the only one he'll be after is you Tommy for caging him like a beast. I saw your attempt at interrogating him earlier and its all bull Tommy. You are going to release him, and you're doing it today. You will take that fucking collar off of him do you understand me?" Jason spoke in a low voice, in clipped and dangerous tones that belied the rage simmering in his heart that was itching to get out.

He backed up and stared Tommy down until he had to bark out orders to his former brother in arms to get him to move. He may love Tommy like a brother but Billy was his little bro', and he'd be damned if this would continue. He spared a glance at Kim, Jason would speak to her soon enough about letting this go unchecked for so long. "Tommy, move your ass before I knock you into a wall!" Jason barked out when he noticed Tommy was in no hurry to let Billy out. Tommy moved a little faster until Jason was behind him half dragging and half pushing him back down to the holding cells in the lower levels of the Command Center. Once Tommy had opened the cell door, he pitched the keys to the collar Billy wore at Jason and teleported out in a blaze of White. He knew when to pick his battles and this was one he'd lose no matter what. Jason caught the keys and turned to his oldest friend with a sad smile on his face.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long to get here bro'." Jason gestured for Billy to turn around so he could get the leather collar off of his friend. Billy let him remove the collar and rubbed his neck where it had started to chafe a bit. He looked at Jason with a little bit of suspicion, but mostly with gratitude for getting him out of the cell and taking that damned collar off.

"Better late than never Jase, it's always better late than never. Where's everyone else?" Billy said as he grabbed his rucksack and followed Jason as he lead the way back to the strategy room where he could get a handle on what had been going on while he was being held captive by their leader.

"They're in the strategy room. They called me to help out in case you couldn't resume your duties, but when I got here Adam explained what happened with your powers when they tried to take your coin. Once I saw that so-called questioning by Tommy, I'd seen enough." Jason stopped and turned to face Billy. "Why was he so hell bent on believing you were a monster?"

Billy looked up at Jason and smiled, letting the gleaming fangs show in the brightly lit hallway. "Partially its because of these additions to my physique as well as some other interesting changes; mostly because I nearly drained Kimberly of her life force by way of her powers when I awoke in the med bay. She was watching over me and I wasn't aware of anything other than a need to feed my hunger for power. Like a vampire I thirsted, not for blood but for the Power. Whatever has changed in me, I craved the Power like water. Once I came back to myself I realized what I'd done and freaked out.

I hid in the lower chambers until they found me and Tommy was shouting for my head or for my spot on the team at least. He was convinced I was now evil and a pawn for Zedd. I was dazed and allowed them to cage me; I thought it would be best especially when I saw what I'd done to Kim. Once I was back to myself, and they hadn't let me out I realized something was amiss. When I felt the collar on my neck, I knew I was in too deep but I couldn't get out of the cell or get that damned collar off no matter what I did. The hunger hasn't come back, but that doesn't mean it won't Jase."

Jason reached out and hugged Billy close for a moment and then smiled. "I'm sure we'll figure something out Billy. I know Kim's not angry at you and the others are going to be glad to see you I'm sure."

Billy snarled a bit at Jason's last words. "If they figured such a travesty of justice had occurred it certainly didn't keep them from letting me out of there or opposing Tommy. I'm sure they think I'm the monster Tommy painted me to be in some way; otherwise they'd have disagreed from the start. Once I've gotten some equipment to test myself with I'm going home to a hot shower, and to sleep for a week."

Jason couldn't argue with Billy's anger nor did he want to, as he'd be just as furious if not more so. Instead he led Billy up to the strategy room and entered with a heavy heart. He suspected that things were about to go sideways pretty quickly. Billy entered the room and sat at the head of the table, letting his gaze linger on everyone present for a moment, and dipped his head for a brief second when he saw Kim sitting a few chairs down. He wasted no time in letting them know he wasn't happy with them allowing his incarceration but now wasn't the time for pointing fingers.

"I'm not going to waste time with a long rant on how you all let Tommy cage me like a dog and didn't raise a voice in protest. Right now I'm too tired, sore and angry to give a whit. I'm going to take some equipment so I can run tests and try to figure out what's been done to me, and if there's any hope of reversing it. I'll be in touch after I've caught up on sleep and feel more like myself. I'd appreciate it if you all left me alone until I've contacted you."

Billy stood and left the room without another word. Everyone present looked at each other for a moment before looking to Jason for some guidance. Instead he let his gaze drop on all of them accusingly before speaking. "Don't look at me for absolution. You all let Tommy bulldoze you into believing what he fed you. If I were Billy I wouldn't speak to any of you again, and I'd kick Tommy's ass into next week. I'll be in touch when I feel like it. I'm thoroughly pissed off with all of you and disappointed beyond words." Jason then teleported out to his back yard, and entered the house. He kicked off his shoes, turned on the TV and flopped down on the couch so he could think about what had transpired.

Billy in the meantime had gone home and taken a long hot bath and think about the last few hours. The hunger hadn't returned since he attacked Kim, but that didn't mean it was gone. Whatever was done to him, he needed to figure it out and soon. Removing the Power coin he carried wasn't an option and probably would kill him if his earlier rage was any indication of how his powers had mutated. After soaking a bit, he got out and went to see if his father was around.

From what Adam told him, the Rangers had paid his father a visit and let them know that Billy had been injured in a monster attack and he was being healed in their facility. It was the truth, but with the omission of what exactly had happened to him when the monster dug its fangs into his shoulder during the fight and rendered him unconscious.

After seeing that his father wasn't home, Billy left a note and headed to his garage lab to start some tests on himself. He hoped that whatever sort of mutation had occurred it could be reversed. He flipped on the lights and set up the equipment to draw blood and test his power levels against what they should be.

While Billy went about his tests, Jason was working off some of the anger he was still feeling at how Billy had been mistreated by the other Rangers. He punched the heavy bag for every harsh word that he saw exchanged between Billy and Tommy earlier that day. He punched the bag for the guilty looks on everyone's faces when he showed up earlier in the day. They were wrong, and knew it. He was so pissed off he didn't know what to do with himself. After abusing the heavy bag for a while, he set off for a shower and to pop in to see if his folks were home. If they weren't around, he was going to have a chat with Kim about what transpired between her and Billy. He had bitten her in his frenzy but she showed no signs of changing into what Billy had become.

Jason wandered the house after his shower, and after he found no one home he called up Kim to see if she was up to a serious talk. "Hi, may I speak with Kim please?" Jason said as Mrs. Hart picked up the phone.

"Jason what a pleasant surprise to hear from you! Kim told me you were in town for a bit. I'll see if she's home, hold on please." Jason thrummed his fingers on the desk while he waited for someone to answer him. He was pleased when he heard Kim's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi Jason, let me guess why you're calling me, and its not to share tales of your time overseas is it?" Kim said with an uncharacteristic bitterness in her voice which surprised Jason.

"Since you want to cut to the chase Kim, yes that's why I'm calling you; do you mind if we meet up and talk, or if you can't talk about it yet, I understand."

Kim was taken aback, but she had started the conversation off with her shot at Jason, so it was only fair that he'd match her tactic. "I can, but not now we're about to sit down to dinner. Want to meet for lunch tomorrow?"

"That'll be fine Kim; I'll be over around one if that's ok."

"Sure, that'll be fine Jason. For what its worth, I am sorry for what happened to Billy and for what Tommy did. I know it isn't much but I am sorry for this."

Jason sighed internally. "Don't apologize to me Kim, I'm not the one who needs to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow, good night." Jason hung up and wandered around the house aimlessly until he decided to go see how Billy was doing. Jason left a note for his parents and went straight to the garage lab and found Billy intent on his laptop and not paying attention to Jason's knocks at the door.

"Have you checked the flux capacitors for anomalies?" Jason said as he went up to Billy and sat in front of him. It was an old joke between them, one that normally got at least a smile from Billy; instead he only got a growl of acknowledgement from his friend. After a while Billy snapped his laptop shut and raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Not going as you expected I take it?" Jason queried as he handed Billy a coke, and waited for the wave of anger that he was sure was coming from Billy. Instead Billy took a long swig of the drink, and grimaced before he spat it out on the floor. "Sorry Jase, but whatever has happened to me, sugar no longer agrees with my system. I spent a good amount of time honoring the porcelain god after having a couple of cokes and a sandwich. I didn't think twice about taking the one you offered." Billy sat on the couch that took up one wall of the lab and groaned, and took the water that Jason had put in his hand.

"Here, that should agree with you." Jason finished off the coke and joined Billy on the couch. "Any progress, any idea what the hell is going on with you?"

Billy shook his head dejectedly and let his hands rake through his hair, a few shades darker since the incident. "No idea Jason; none whatsoever. All I do know is that my body is rejecting a lot of things, I have fangs and my hormones are out control, totally fucking out of control." Billy looked at Jason with a slight tinge of embarrassment, as he stood and went to get his laptop. He opened it to the latest results of his testing and handed it to Jason.

"According to this, my powers are no longer mutating but I'm unsure about this hunger for the Power. I don't feel a need to "feed" off anyone but there's nothing to guarantee I won't need to do so again. I'm lost as to what to do next." Billy leaned back and rubbed his eyes, he was tired, annoyed and for whatever reason he felt a compelling urge to jump Jason and kiss him. The mutation of his powers was playing havoc with his emotions and baser instincts, and he didn't like it one bit. Instead of giving in, he stood and went to the door leading into the house.

"Jase, I hate to be rude but I'm still wiped out from all of this. I think I'm going to get a nap in, feel free to hang around but I need at least an hour or so to rest." Billy tightened his grip on the doorknob to keep his hands to himself as he hoped Jason left without questioning his odd behavior too much.

Jason looked up at Billy, he sensed something was off but he didn't question it for the moment. Instead he put Billy's laptop on the table and went over to say goodbye. He went to give Billy a brief hug, but was met a very stiff and tense hug in reply. He looked down into Billy's eyes for a clue as to what was going on. "What's wrong Billy? You're not much on touching I know, but you usually don't tense up like that."

Billy looked down, at a loss for words. He didn't know how to tell Jason what his problem was without humiliating himself. Instead he opted for bolting to his room, and hoping he made it there before Jason caught him. It was a good try, but even with the Power Billy didn't get a good enough jump on Jason to beat him to his room. Instead he found himself shoved onto his bed, and a very loud "click" as Jason locked the door and turned to look at him. "Ok, what was that about Billy? You have never run from me, and unless I missed something there was no reason for you to bolt. What gives?"

Billy took a deep breath, and avoided looking at Jason as he mumbled his explanation. He backed away to the other side of the bed and put it between himself and his oldest friend. "I… I need to be alone Jason. I'm don't feel like I can trust myself with you right now. Please go Jason, please." Billy said this as he backed away from Jason until he was between his desk and his bed. Jason stayed where he was and looked at Billy, he hadn't heard all of it but he got that Billy wasn't in the mood for his company for some reason.

"Look, I don't know why you ran like that but I'm not going to hurt you Billy. What is it, what's got you bolting like that from me?" The hurt in Jason's voice cut Billy to the core, but he wouldn't allow whatever was changing him to let him hurt Jason. "Jason, please leave. I'm not worried about you hurting me; I'm worried about what I want to do to you. Now, please just go." Billy dug his hands into the pillow on his bed, as he hoped Jason left soon before he lost all control of himself.


	2. Getting to the heart of the matter

"_Look, I don't know why you ran like that but I'm not going to hurt you Billy. What is it, what's got you bolting like that from me?" The hurt in Jason's voice cut Billy to the core, but he wouldn't allow whatever was changing him to let him hurt Jason. "Jason, please leave. I'm not worried about you hurting me; I'm worried about what I want to do to you. Now, please just go." Billy dug his hands into the pillow on his bed, as he hoped Jason left soon before he lost all control of himself. _

Billy stood there letting the last few words he and Jason exchanged run around in his agile mind while he fought against the base instincts that told him to jump his best friend since the age of nine years old. He looked up at Jason finally, and spoke in a low growl.

"Jason, for the sake of our friendship and my sanity please leave me be for now. I'm losing my control and I'm not willing to destroy our friendship over what I can't control. Please, I don't ask much of you just this once please do this for me." Billy turned away from Jason and put his head in his hands to get a semblance of control before he did something he'd regret later. He ignored the silence that stretched between them as long as he could until he heard the click of the lock as Jason slipped out of his room and stood at the door to listen for any signs of distress or Billy needing help.

Billy went to the door and locked it from the inside and let his forehead rest against the cool wood before he said thank you in a rough voice and turned back to his bed to get himself under control. Jason whispered you're welcome bro' before he turned and left the Cranston house. He knew that Billy wouldn't beg anything of him lightly, so he took it to heart and adhered to his request. He didn't like it, nor did he want to go, but Billy had been spot on in reminding him that he rarely if ever asked anything of Jason.

Jason went home, but was restless as he worried about Billy. For his own peace of mind, he considered calling Billy later that night, but something stayed his hand. Instead he wandered around his basement until his mother called him up for a phone call. Jason didn't expect to hear from Billy, but he was glad to hear his voice on the other end, and was relieved that Billy sounded normal again. Jason took the handset and went into the den where he could speak privately. "I'm glad you called, I've been worried Billy."

Billy shifted the phone to the other ear and picked up his end of the conversation. "Thanks Jason, I've been worried about myself for the last month. I'd like to apologize for earlier. Now that I'm back to myself, I feel horrible for pushing you away like that. Can you forgive me?" Billy braced himself for a negative response, but was pleased when he heard Jason's voice as he was admonished for even apologizing.

Jason smiled before he answered, as Billy would apologize for anything if he thought he'd hurt Jason no matter whose fault it was. "Stop apologizing Billy. I'm glad you had enough control to push me away rather than let this thing control you. I trust you with my life, and that hasn't changed."

Billy swallowed before he answered; his voice rough with gratitude for his best friend. "I… I don't know what to say Jason, but thank you. I actually had a reason for calling, I was able to decipher some results of my testing, I had hoped you could come over and talk about it Jason. I'm … I'm scared Jason, and the results don't look promising."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes Billy, don't worry too much. Ok?"

"I won't Jason; as long as you're here I'll be a little better. See you when you get here." Billy hung up and paced restlessly while he awaited Jason's arrival. Even though he was not in the best frame of mind, Billy smiled a bit when Jason entered the house and knocked on his door.

"Come in Jason" Billy said as he perched on his bed, ready to show Jason the results of his testing.

Jason came in and sat next to Billy, ready to hear his news, regardless of how bad it was. "So, what's the news doc?" Jason said as he looked at his old friend, ready to hear dire news from Billy.

Billy cleared his throat, his newly acquired fangs showing for a moment. "Well…the worst part is my new features may be permanent, and there doesn't seem to be a way to reverse the effects." Billy raised a hand to forestall anything Jason would have said, he wanted to get all of it out at once then perhaps let Jason run ideas past him.

"The other thing is… well, it seems that this, curse for lack of a better word is playing havoc on my physiology and my mind. Earlier when I lost it, I felt like I was going to jump you… in a well, sexual manner. I couldn't control myself and that's why I asked you to leave, I don't want to do anything that would endanger our friendship Jason, please know that. I've been looking into this part of the problem, and I think if I were… attached to someone the urges wouldn't be so bad, as I'd have an outlet for whatever it is that I'd need to work off."

Billy looked down at his bed and picked at it like he was trying to draw the courage to continue. He looked up at Jason and spoke very quietly, as he didn't want to utter the words but he'd thought about the best way to deal with this side of his problem. He looked around the room again before looking Jason in the eye and continuing to speak.

"I think this part of it can be controlled with some kind of bond to one person, someone I can be with should these urges happen again. There are several problems with that. I'm not in a relationship, I've never had intercourse, nor have I had the opportunity so, so even if I were to find someone to bond with I'd have no idea what I need to do. Lastly, I don't particularly care for the fairer sex, and there aren't a lot of guys to choose from. Jason please don't hate me, I can't help this… I can't control"…

Billy was cut off by Jason putting his hand over Billy's mouth to stop the stream of self recrimination that threatened to spill out if Billy had kept talking. "Bill, hush, and let me talk now ok? I'm going to move my hand but promise me not to speak until I'm done." Billy nodded solemnly and then blinked a bit to get his emotions back under control. He looked at Jason expectantly and remained silent as requested. Finally Jason spoke to him, and he was surprised by what his friend had to say.

"Bill, first don't apologize for who you are. I've suspected you weren't too interested in girls for a while so that's no big deal to me. I'm your friend and just because you are not interested in the ladies is no reason for me to hate you, trust me it would take a hell of a lot for me to even dislike you, let alone hate you.

Now as to your problem with the urges and such… don't think you have to push me away because of that, I'm not going to hit you, turn you away or do anything like that Bill." Jason saw that Billy was trying hard to control himself and not speak until Jason was done.

"If you trust me enough to come to me when it happens, I'd do anything for you Billy, do you understand me; I would do anything for you. I love you and nothing will change that. I know dealing with emotional things are harder for you than most people, so I wont linger on this too much longer. Bill Cranston, know that you can call on me for anything that is in my power to do for you. That includes helping you with this problem, and if need be, being bound to you to save you. I would do anything for you, never doubt that ok?"

Jason punctuated his last words with a gentle kiss to Billy's forehead, which broke the other man's resolve to take Jason's declaration in stride. Billy let out a sob, and tried to leave the room but he wasn't fast enough to escape Jason pulling him into a hug and calming him. "Its ok, I don't want you to get so upset, please don't get so worked up Bill please?" Billy only nodded as he didn't trust his voice to hold steady. Jason let him regain his composure and let him open up when he was ready. After some time Billy looked up at Jason and responded in a thick voice that wasn't steady.

"Thank you Jason, I admit I'm floored by your words. Emotions are so hard for me to deal with, so hard for me to even talk about yet you told me how you felt so easily. I wish I could that at times." Billy sighed and sat up and faced his friend before he continued speaking. "As for the rest, I don't know what to say Jason; I can't ask you to bind yourself to me, what if its something that has to be permanent? What if I infect you with whatever has changed me? All these unknown variables so much that can possibly go wrong with this Jason. What if I change even more, or become less human? What if I …"

Billy was once more silenced by Jason's hand over his mouth. "Billy, you're over-analyzing again. Just take this one day at a time, and we'll figure it out. I know you hate that, I know you hate not having a plan or a clear cut path but this isn't a clear cut situation ok. Now, just be quiet let's sit here and try to figure things out or at the very least lets take a walk, I'm getting a cramp in my leg from you sitting on my lap."

Billy slid off of Jason and stood up, a bit apprehensive of being alone with him after his declaration of love for him. It's not that he didn't trust Jason, he didn't trust himself. He gave Jason a grateful smile and extended his hand out once Jason was standing. "Let me show you something Jason, I think it will express what I can't put into words right now."

Jason took his hand and felt himself wrapped in a hug before they teleported out to a lush garden area that Jason didn't recognize as any place he knew in Angel Grove. "Where are we Bill?" Jason asked as he was led to a secluded ledge and prompted to sit down.

"We are in a botanical garden in Stone canyon. I came here a while ago when I needed to get away from everything. I found a secluded spot I could teleport to without being spotted. Now with the change to my powers, I don't need to tap into the Grid to teleport; I can just close my eyes and imagine myself there now. I realized it when you left and I wound up here subconsciously. This is where I come to think, to relax and to calm myself. The beauty here is something I can't put into words, but I hope it can convey what I would like to say in thanks Jason. This is one thing I've never shared with anyone, and I wish I could articulate what it means to me and why I'm sharing this with you." Billy looked around, for once unsure of his wording and worried that Jason would not understand his intent.

Jason smiled at Bill and tugged him over into a loose hug. He turned and spoke close to Billy's ear so as not to ruin the quiet peace of their surroundings. "I understand Bill, I get it. Thank you and you are welcome." Jason let a hand run through Billy's sandy locks in a friendly way before he turned back to enjoy the view. Billy smiled a little, and returned the affectionate gesture before he too took in the view of the moon over the garden they were enjoying. The two young men sat there for some time, before Bill noticed the time and sadly realized they should head back before either of them got into trouble for being out so late.

"As much as I hate to go, we should head home Jason. It's getting late and I don't want you to get into any trouble." Bill stood up and extended his hand out to Jason so they could go home.

"I left a note for mom, she knows I may stay over it would be ok with your dad. I'd like to do that if it's ok." Jason took Bill's hand and allowed himself to be teleported back to Billy's room. Bill was reluctant to let Jason go, but he did in order to thank him with a hug and a squeeze to his shoulders. "I'll go ask dad if you can stay over, I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

Jason nodded and sat down on Bill's bed until he returned. While Bill was gone he stretched out and read over the print outs of the tests Billy had done on himself. He was broken from his reading as the bed dipped from Billy joining him. "I guess I'm stable now, in terms of needing the Power to feed from, but I don't know if it would happen again. Maybe it was a freak occurrence from being unconscious so long, but I hope it doesn't happen again." Bill nudged Jason over a bit and stretched out along side his friend. Jason noticed the frequent yawns Billy gave in to while he had spoken and figured he wouldn't be awake for much longer. Jason nodded and moved the sheaf of papers over a bit so they wouldn't wind up out of order or worse, wedged underneath one of them if they happened to nod off. Jason knew Billy was showing signs of crashing soon, and he was edging towards sleep himself after the emotional day they'd had. He turned to see that Billy had succumbed to slumber already, so he nudged Billy until he got him over enough to sleep comfortably and closed his eyes to drift off. They could talk more in the morning. Jason was just glad that he'd left the door cracked open a bit. All he needed was Lance Cranston suspecting them of anything before it had a chance to happen.

"Good night Billy, hope you have pleasant dreams" Jason said as he flipped the lights off and lay on his back and let his mind drift off towards sleep and what he'd sworn to Billy earlier.


	3. Do you trust me?

Billy woke up first to find Jason sprawled out on his bed next to him, fully clothed and snoring softly. Billy smiled and allowed himself to give Jason a brief once over before he carefully slid out of bed to get a shower and change clothes. While in the shower, he allowed his mind to run over their conversation from before they succumbed to exhaustion. Jason had pledged himself to Billy if it meant saving him, and that moved Billy beyond words. He finished off his shower, changed clothes in the bathroom and slipped downstairs.

Billy started some coffee, which he could still have since he always took it black and strong. His father came in just as Billy had sat down with a fresh mug of java and the day's paper. "Hi dad, there's fresh coffee if you want it." Billy sipped his coffee and sighed at the normalcy of the day when he knew nothing was the same anymore.

Lance Cranston took in his son's appearance with caution, and wondered why Jason wasn't up yet since both young men were early risers. "Is Jason still asleep?"

"Yes, he fell asleep after I did. I was exhausted and slept on top of the bed fully clothed, so did Jason. I didn't have the heart to wake him up." Billy looked at his father askance, since there seemed to be an unspoken accusation in his question. Instead he passed him the sports section and continued to read the news. Lance didn't know what to say to his son, since there were obvious changes to him physically as well as whatever he now felt like mentally.

"Father, please stop staring at me I don't care for it. If there's something you want to say, please just say it." Billy said as he looked up at his father and gave him a glare. He wasn't in the mood for anyone to study him like some creature especially over coffee in the morning.

Lance cleared his throat and took a hearty swallow of his coffee before he spoke. "Sorry son, I'm just not sure how to talk about what happened to you. I'm sorry Billy; I just wish I knew what to say." Lance peered into his mug while Billy looked at him solemnly for a while.

"Dad, there's nothing to really say. I survived, the Rangers helped me get back on my feet and now I just need to figure out if these changes are permanent or not. They will probably be in touch to see if I need additional medical attention, but until then I'd like things to go back to normal, if that's alright with you." Billy rinsed out his mug and went to his father's side for a moment. He looked at Lance with a bit of sadness in his demeanor as he gave his father a hard hug. "This is hard to deal with father, for everyone involved, please let me deal with it ok? Now I'm going to see if Jason is up so we can get some breakfast."

Lance returned his son's brief hug then stood up as he got ready to start his day. "I know it's hard for you son, I'm just a little lost on what to do. I'll see you boys later; we have an audit going on so I have to go in to the office for a while. Call me there if anything comes up."

Lance shocked his son by giving him another brief hug and a peck on the cheek on his way out the door. Billy stood there for a moment, not sure what to make of his father's odd behavior but he shook it off and went upstairs to find Jason fresh out of the shower and clad only in his jeans.

Billy looked away from Jason's state of undress and looked out the window while Jason finished getting dressed. "Morning Jase, there's coffee made and I figured we could go get some breakfast." Billy turned around and found himself about a foot away from Jason. He swallowed hard and looked up into Jason's midnight eyes, and hoped nothing had gone wrong since the previous night. "What's the matter?"

Jason smiled a bit and gave Billy a caress on the cheek. "Nothing, I just find it sweet that you blushed when you came in to find me half dressed. You do realize if your urges come up again, you'd see more than that. I just find it adorable that you are still so shy around me, we've had gym class together Billy, it's not like you haven't seen all of me." Jason stopped speaking as he realized Billy had gone board stiff and silent. He looked down to realize his friend was quietly gazing at him and had a far off look in his eyes. Billy looked up at him, but Jason didn't think he was present and accounted for. He waved his hand in front of Billy's face but he didn't get a verbal response, instead he felt a light touch to his chest and looked down and caught Billy right before he attempted to sink his fangs into Jason's chest.

"Hold it! Billy, snap out of it!" Jason shouted as he pushed Billy away and held him at arms length. Billy looked at him with a feral smile and tried to get within reach to bite Jason. "Dammit Billy, snap out of it! What's come over you?" Jason pulled Billy around so he could get a grip on him and keep himself from being a mid day snack.

Billy struggled in Jason's grip for some time until Jason's words finally seemed to reach him. Billy slid down to the floor and looked mortified at what he nearly had done to Jason. He scrambled back and wedged himself between his bed and the wall and did not move. "See… I told you this would happen Jason, I told you I'd hurt you. I tried to attack you… like you were prey." Billy wedged himself into the space even more while he refused to acknowledge Jason's presence. "Please, leave me be Jason, I told you I can't be trusted to not harm you. What if I'd bitten you, would you still be so willing to toss your life away for me, or better yet for whatever monster I've become? Maybe Tommy was right about me." Billy whispered the last bit of his rant with a bitterness that Jason could almost feel from where he stood.

Instead of allowing Billy to wallow in self pity any longer, he reached down and pulled Billy to him in a hug which shocked his friend as well as silenced his recriminations. Billy was stiff in Jason's arms and would not allow himself to relax; Jason to his credit loosened his hug but only enough to peer down at his friend intently. "William Alexander Cranston, you will stop beating yourself up. Tommy was not right; you are not a monster any more than I am. Hush, not another word of self loathing from you Cranston. I'm going to let go and you will not run from me, you will not hide from yourself; what you're going to do is sit down and explain what drew you to trying to make breakfast out of me. If you won't do that then I'm going to sit down and keep you here until you talk to me Billy. We've been friends too long for you to hold things in, especially when it involves you making a snack out of me. Now what is going to happen when I let go?"

Billy growled under his breath, he hated dealing with emotional things and Jason was not going to let him out of this. "We'll talk about what happened. I'll sit like a good boy and talk Jason. Let go, I won't run any more." Billy found himself released from Jason's grip and he sat down on the floor of his room and looked up at Jason with dullness in his eyes that worried Jason as he sank down and joined Billy.

"Bill, I didn't want you to shut down on me I just want to know what made you attack me. Please don't think I ordered you. Just talk to me Billy, I want to help and I can't if you won't talk to me."

Billy nodded and started to talk once Jason was finished, he knew if he didn't start talking he'd just sit there in angry silence with Jason until he gave in. Better to get it over with now instead of causing a rift between him and his best friend. "It was the rhythm of your heartbeat. I could hear it, the thumping of it called to me. Not the blood, but the power of its rhythm hypnotized me Jason. When you waved your hand in front of my face it barely registered, all I cared about was getting to the source of the rhythm. I'm so sorry Jason, I lost control again and I could have killed you if I'd gotten my teeth into you.

I'm scared Jason, truly scare of what I'm becoming. I dreamt I sprouted huge wings last night, I'm surprised dad didn't come running because I swore I was really screaming from the pain in my nightmares. I woke up and didn't know where I was for awhile, at least until I went downstairs and relaxed for a while. I don't want to hurt anyone Jason, I don't want to wake up some fucking monster; all I want is to be myself again."

Billy went silent finally, as he hugged his knees to his chest and looked over to his friend. Jason didn't say anything; he just pulled Billy into a hug and let him know how he felt without speaking any more. As he expected Billy pulled away and turned away from Jason; intent on wallowing in his self pity for the time being. Jason sighed and left Billy to sulk while he went out and got them something to eat. Jason came back to find Billy had come down to the living room and was flipping through channels with no obvious choice in mind.

Jason put down the bag with their lunch and pulled Billy over to the table the Cranston's have had for so long Billy's dad didn't remember where he got it from. Jason set the food out and waited for Billy to do something, even if it was tell him to leave. All he got was a mumbled "thank you" before Billy tore into the food. Once they had finished eating Billy came over to Jason's side of the table so he could speak his piece.

"I'm sorry about earlier Jason; I was angry at myself and felt rather foolish about my outburst once you were gone. I hope I haven't offended you." Billy looked at Jason apologetically and hoped he hadn't angered his friend.

Jason sighed and leaned back to look at Billy before he spoke. "Billy, I'm not mad at you. I'm angry at the unfairness of the world that things like this seem to happen to you too often. I'm a little annoyed with you, but that's because you won't stop beating yourself up over this. It's not like you ran up and offered yourself to be a feast, it happened and your coping, better than I would be I have to admit." Jason sipped his drink while he let Billy soak that last bit up with that agile mind of his.

Billy tipped his head and looked at Jason oddly. He figured if Jason were in his shoes he'd be much calmer about this and Tommy sure as hell wouldn't have caged him either. Billy snorted at the image of Tommy trying to imprison Jason and soon was on the floor laughing hysterically, which worried Jason since Billy was not a person prone to random bouts of laughter.

"Tell me you had a joke in your head that's really funny, or I'm going to cart you to the Command Center and scan you Billy." Jason hoped that Billy hadn't totally cracked but he knew the strain of his transformation had worn on his friend mentally despite Billy's best efforts to pretend he was ok. Billy sat up and looked at Jason while he controlled the burst of laughter and wiped his face off before he said anything.

"No need to cart me off to the funny farm, not yet anyway. I think I needed that Jason. I had a moment where I saw Tommy trying to lock you up like he did me, and it struck me as funny. I needed that because if I didn't have that laughing fit it would have been a crying jag. I'm ok, really." Billy stood up and dusted himself off before he got some water.

Jason looked at him askance but shrugged before he went up to Billy and looked into his eyes. "Billy, do you trust me?"

"Of course Jason, I trust you with my life." Billy wondered what was going on as they'd done this once already. "What's wrong Jason? You know I trust you, more than I trust myself a lot of times."

Jason smiled and took Billy's hand to lead him back upstairs. He didn't say a word until they were back in Billy's room and he'd shut the door. "So you wouldn't punch me if I gave in to one of my urges. I don't know if it's something about you since your changes or if this is something that's been under the surface for a while but you've been affecting me for a while, I can't help but want to touch you, kiss you and do other things that might make you blush if I told you."

Jason sighed and let his forehead rest on Billy's but kept his hand on Billy's chest in case he zoned out and tried to make a snack out of Jason again. Billy looked up at Jason, partially out of fear he may be dreaming and partially because he figured that Jason was affected by something he was doing unconsciously. "Jason, I can't tell you how flattered I am but I think I'm unintentionally making you attracted to me. I'd love to give into my urges and let you do as you will, but I'd feel weird if it wasn't something you truly wanted and just some bizarre pheromone attraction."

Jason kissed his friend on the forehead and sighed. "Damn Billy, why must you over think things? Why can't it just be pleasurable? Why can't this just be about two friends who find each other attractive?" Jason looked into Billy's eyes once more to let him see that it wasn't just pheromones that made Jason want him, but feelings held in check for a while until this strange thing would allow them to be explored, and hopefully returned.

Billy returned his friends gaze, and realized it wasn't just rampant hormones from either of them, but there was the truth right in front of him for the taking… was he going to take Jason up on it or run away from something that might hurt in the long run? They stared at each other for a while before Jason decided to take a chance and show Billy with no doubt what he wanted.


End file.
